Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
She glances between us. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve both been through tonight. I hope you know there are mental-health options for this kind of trauma.”
“Please don’t give us a fucking mental-health lecture right now. We already got it from two cops.”
“Three,” Leif interjects.
“I’ll definitely keep you both posted,” she says, “though at this level, I’m sure it won’t take long for the media to get a hold of any developments.”
“We look forward to them,” I say. “I don’t want to be rude, but can you leave me and my boyfriend alone now?”
Her gaze settles on the ground. “Yeah. That’s fair. I’ll probably have to follow up—”
“Bye, Detective Roth.”
She heads off, and I rest my head back on Leif’s shoulder.
The EMT suggests that, given how many times I was stunned by Isaac, it might be a good idea to head to the hospital for observation, but since all the vitals they took are fine, I refuse.
I’m just tired. Want to go to bed in my boyfriend’s arms. So Leif and I head back to his place. I know where I need to be right now.
When we get into his bedroom, we collapse on the bed together, and I throw my arms around him, pulling him close.
“I’m so fucking exhausted,” I whisper.
“Me too.”
“But there’s no fucking way I’m gonna be able to sleep after all that.”
“Then maybe we can stay up feeling like this for the rest of the night.”
I kiss the back of his neck. Once. Twice.
The third time, a tear streaks down my face.
It’s like I’ve been holding in all this emotion, especially with all the people we were around, and now it all comes flooding out. My body trembles, now not from shock, but from the weight of it all crashing down on me in an instant.
“He’s gone.”
“I’m so sorry, Zane. I wish there was something I could say to make it better.”
The tears roll down my cheek, onto his neck, and I surrender, sobbing against him, clinging to him desperately, as though if I held him tight enough, I could make sure nothing bad ever happened to my Leif.
He rolls toward me, and I release him enough so he can face me. I bury my face into his chest, a mess of tears and desperate groans that don’t even sound human. “Don’t ever leave me,” I say into his shirt. “Please don’t ever leave me.” I can’t even control the words that come out. I’m so grief-stricken, so desperate for some assurance.
“I’m right here. I’m here, Zane, and I love you. Let it all out. Don’t be afraid. Let me take anything that’s too much for you.”
What little I’ve been holding back, I release, and the sobbing intensifies as I surrender to it completely, knowing I’m safe in his arms.
This grief is just the beginning of the journey; I know that.
As my body works through a primal response, whimpers and screams, tears and trembling, he holds me tighter, assuring me that as long as I have Leif at my side, it’s a journey I can bear.
EPILOGUE
LEIF
One month later…
As I stir in bed, I feel a tight grip around my waist.
“Shh. No. It’s the weekend,” Zane says. “We can sleep in.”
I chuckle. “Is my short king tired?”
He nods against the back of my neck.
“If I stay in bed, how am I gonna make us waffles?”
His arm pops up, and I burst into a laugh.
“Oh, that easy, huh?” I roll toward him.
His arm drops back down on me, and he pulls my body close to his. “I’m only kidding. Although, I wouldn’t mind a few waffles after that workout you gave me last night.”
I reach down and grip his ass. “Yeah, this ass gave me a good workout too.”
“Now that I’ve trapped you, I figure I’m just gonna be a total bottom. And you’re gonna have to come home and drill me with that thing every afternoon.”
We share a laugh, and as it settles, I assess his expression.
That spark in his eyes has returned, but I can still see the pain. It hasn’t been an easy month, between our encounter with Tolle and the subsequent revelations.
Tolle took a plea deal. Confessed to every detail of his crimes.
How he met Jason and Mike at the Chelsby Hill library. How he talked with them about books a few times before he caught them while they were walking around town, offering rides. He used his stun gun to keep them from fighting, then bound them in zip ties and tucked them away in the trunk of his car, taking them to his place, where he did the sorts of things monsters do. And once he didn’t see that light in their eyes anymore—as he saw it, at least—he disposed of the bodies. Jason’s was in the creek by the dam, and Mike’s was in another creek on the other side of town.